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College  | Story  | 4/8/2021

Scouting Notebook: Louisville

Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Henry Davis (Justin Krueger)
College Player Report Database

Previously Featured:
April 2 Notebook: Michael Kirian, Tate Kuehner
April 3 Notebook: Luke Seed, Adam Elliott
April 4 Notebook: Luke Smith



Player Covered: Henry Davis, Alex Binelas,  Levi Usher, Lucas Dunn, Luke Brown, Cameron Masterman, Trey Leonard, Cooper Bowman, Christian Knapczyk

What Happened: A top-five Louisville team took two-of-three games at home from a Wake Forest team that has a lineup that can compete with anyone in the conference. They ambushed projected first-rounder Ryan Cusick on Friday night before getting a gem of a performance from left-hander Luke Seed on Saturday to take the first two games of the series. The lineup is one of the most potent in the country as there’s not an easy out in spots one through nine, but they’ll need more consistency and depth from their pitching staff moving forward.

Carrying Tool: Offensive depth. Henry Davis is putting together a bona fide Golden Spikes campaign for the Cardinals as he looks like one of the best bats in the country, but he’s not the only heavy hitter in a very good lineup. First baseman Alex Binelas was one of the more feared hitters coming into the season but he’ll need to step up production, while fixtures like Lucas Dunn and Cooper Bowman were as advertised. Cameron Masterman, Trey Leonard, Levi Usher, and Christian Knapczyk form a bottom of the order that would rival most other teams stars and add a ton of balance.

Concerns: Pitching Depth and Bullpen. Michael Kirian made the jump to the starting rotation this year and while he’s been as good as ever in a starter’s role, there’s been some clear holes in the back end of the ‘pen. They’ve been unlucky a bit as the other projected ace Glenn Albanese has been out with injury, though the backend of the bullpen is just unreliable right now in terms of closing out games. Albanese coming back will be a big boon while Luke Smith turning around would be huge for the Cards. Jack Perkins is the big wild card as he has some of the best stuff in the country, and if he can improve strikes that’s another weapon at Louisville’s disposal.

Best Player on the Field: Henry Davis. A consensus first-round pick entering the year, Davis has been better than advertised, featuring some of the best numbers in the entire country and setting himself up for a Golden Spikes run. Davis hits the ball extremely hard with excellent impact at contact and he doesn’t strike out much at all, showing off the hit tool and the barrel control in the process. Davis’ best tool is his double-plus arm strength of his rocket arm, but he’s also a terrific athlete who is on pace to grab double-digit steals. Davis is a terrific athlete and player and he looked like a top-five pick this weekend.



Henry Davis, C, 2021 Eligible
Coming into the season, Davis was thought to be a surefire first-rounder based on the strength of his defensive acumen, double-plus arm, and burgeoning power from the right side. Davis has taken his game to another level from an offensive standpoint, posting unbelievable numbers and consistent exit velocities in the 100+ mph range. Thanks to his offensive catapult and considerable defensive ability, he’s vaulted himself firmly into the top-10 and potentially even better than that should he continue his stretch as one of the best hitters in college baseball. 

Davis looks like a professional already from a physical standpoint, with a muscular and mature 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame that exudes strength. The physicality and wrist strength allows for him to impact the ball offensively consistently and the frame itself allows for a body that will stand the trials and tribulations of professional baseball.

The power isn’t overpowering in batting practice, rather it’s very consistent, spraying line drives to both alleys with carry and strength. Davis loads hard onto his back leg and explodes through his foundation, using the ground well to drive using the lower half. It’s solid-average raw power for Davis who won’t hit many towering blasts but his ability to backspin the ball and to consistently hit the ball extremely hard allows for him to reach a lot more of his power than your typical prospect would.

The bat speed and strength are both standouts and even though the swing looks unorthodox at times, he maintains the barrel through contact and has the hand-eye and barrel coordination to square the ball consistently. That’s evident when just looking at his strikeout and walk totals as Davis has double as many free passes as strikeouts and over the course of the three-game series he only whiffed on the ball two or three times total.

When it came to Davis’ results, I’d be hard-pressed to have seen him play better over the course of a weekend series. Davis crushed the ball with only two of the balls put in play coming in at exit velocities below 99 mph, two home runs, and three extra-base hits. Even his outs were loud with 100+ mph exit velocities on ground balls and line outs throughout the course of the weekend. His ability to consistently take good at-bats, control the strike zone, and hit the ball hard all stood out at-bat after at-bat.

The defensive skill stood out all weekend too, as he’s agile and swift behind the plate, smothers balls in the dirt, and leads a pitching staff effectively. Davis did have the tendency to box balls at times but those were often with no runners on and could be chalked up to a variety of other circumstances and not his ability to receive. You’d still like to see it be a bit more tidy in terms of receiving but there’s little doubt he’ll translate to a professional catcher well. The arm strength is excellent as aforementioned and he threw out the only two baserunners who dared to try and steal on him. He popped a 1.97 to nail a runner at second on Friday and absolutely hosed a runner at third on Sunday with a 70-grade throw.

Davis is a complete package when it comes to college catchers and he matches up with the best of them in recent memory. He’s his own prospect who probably doesn’t match the level of Adley Rutschman but would probably rank right near Joey Bart and Shea Langeliers when talking about recent first-round college catchers; oh and to mention, the catcher is going to notch double-digit steals this year as all indications look like Davis being a top-five pick in July’s draft.  


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